The Balganga River Project, which is expected to supply drinking and industrial water to Panvel, Nerul and Karjat, is expected to entirely submerge 216 ha of Raigad district’s forest land.

The state water resources department has sent a forest clearance proposal for the diversion of the land to the ministry of environment, forest & climate change (MOEF&CC). According to the proposal, the project—which is to come up in the district’s Pen taluka, is situated at the Balganga river—which originates from the Patalganga river basin and joins the Arabian Sea near Dharmatar creek.